10-22-07

Media Release

OSU Student Named One of 100 Most Influential Filipinas in the U.S.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University student Claire Oliveros will receive an award as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipinas in the United States during the fifth-annual Filipina Women’s Network Summit scheduled for Oct. 25-27 in Washington D.C.

A second generation Filipina-American born and raised in Portland, Oliveros was nominated by Carmen Caballero Rubio, director of Community Affairs for Portland Mayor Tom Potter.

“Claire is a thoughtful, intelligent and progressive woman of strong character,” said Rubio in her nomination of Oliveros. “She works tirelessly and passionately to raise awareness around issues impacting women of color and the Filipino community.”

Oliveros will be honored in the category of “Emerging Leaders and Builders.” The first in her family to attend college, she is completing her Ph.D. in education at OSU with an emphasis in community college leadership.

For the past decade, Oliveros has worked as the coordinator of the Multicultural Center at Portland Community College, where she has provided leadership and direction for programs and services for Filipinos, Filipino-Americans and students of color.

In 2005, she returned from an international human rights fact-finding mission in Hacienda Luisita, Philippines, organized by BAYAN USA, the only international chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-Philippines). She also formed the Portland Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines to raise awareness of human rights violations, and mobilize support for the international campaign to “Stop the Killings in the Philippines.”

Oliveros also helped establish the Asian Pacific American Compass Radio Collective on KBOO 90.7 FM Community Radio.

“I appreciate the opportunity to join other Filipina women in an effort to raise awareness of critical leadership issues, especially the ever-worsening human rights violations in the Philippines,” she said. “The summit is an opportunity to share critical information about the strong and growing international solidarity movement to raise awareness of the human rights violations in the Philippines and hold governments accountable for the worsening conditions.”

The Filipina Women's Summit and Awards Gala will bring together Filipina women leaders from various sectors of the community including the military, government, non-profit organizations, higher education, and community-based organizations around the United States. For more information on the summit, visit the website at http://www.ffwn.org

The Community College Leadership Program at OSU’s College of Education prepares teachers and administrators for leadership roles in technical and community colleges and similar organizations. The focus is on the application of quality research to the problems and opportunities in community colleges.